1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to devices that are used to interconnect wires within the confines of a telephone network interface. More particularly, the present invention relates to devices that facilitate the interconnection of wires from a monitored alarm system with telephone wires within a telephone network interface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When telephone wires enter a private home or a small commercial building, the wires typically terminate in a telephone network interface. The telephone network interface is typically a small waterproof junction box that is mounted to the exterior of the home or building. Telephone wires from within the facility also terminate within the telephone network interface. Within the telephone network interface, the telephone wires from within the facility are interconnected to the incoming telephone wires from the telecommunications provider. Common telephone network interfaces are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,559 to Collins, entitled Telephone Network Interface Apparatus, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,220 to Garver, entitled, Network Interface Device.
Typically, the telephone network interface also represents the line of demarcation between property that is owned by the telecommunications provider and property that is owned by the customer facility. If a telephone wire needs repair at any point prior to the telephone network interface, the repair is the responsibility of the telecommunications provider. However, if a telephone wire needs repair at any point after the telephone network interface, the repair is typically the responsibility of the customer facility.
Many businesses and private homes have remotely monitored security systems and/or medical alert systems. In such systems, an alarm signal is sent to a remote monitoring station when the system is triggered. Most commonly, such systems send alarm signals to the remote monitoring station using the telephone lines within the monitored facility. In order to connect a security system or a medical alert system to a facility's telephone lines, wires from the system must be interconnected with the telephone wiring of the monitored facility. The most common place used to interconnect wires from a monitored alarm system to a facility's telephone lines is within the telephone network interface.
When a monitored alarm system is added to a facility, that alarm system must be able to send an alarm signal to a monitoring center regardless to the status of the telephones within that facility. For instance, if a person is talking on the telephone or if the telephone is off-the-hook when a alarm signal needs to be sent, the monitored alarm system must have the ability to close the open telephone line and reestablish a dialing tone so that the alarm signal can be successfully transmitted. In the field of monitored alarm systems, this is commonly accomplished by placing the monitored alarm system in series with the customer telephones, in between the customer's telephones and the telephone network interface.
Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic of a prior art monitored alarm system installation is shown. Within the telephone network interface 10 for a facility, a pair of external wires 20 is received from the telephone pole for each telephone exchange used within that facility. If a facility uses multiple exchange numbers, multiple pairs of external wires 20 are received.
Within the telephone network interface 10 are provided a set of wire mounting screws 28 for each telephone exchange, wherein the wire mounting screws 28 are interconnected with the incoming external wires 20 for that exchange. If no monitored alarm system were present, wires 34 from within the facility would be connected to the wire mounting screws 34 within the telephone network interface 10, thereby completing the interconnection between the facility's telephones and the external telephone lines 20 of the telecommunications provider.
When a monitored alarm system is installed in a facility, a four wire cable 17 is typically run into the telephone network interface 10. The wires 34 that lead to the facility's telephones are disconnected from the wire mounting screws 28 and are attached to two of the wires in the four wire cable 17. The wire-to-wire interconnection 15 is commonly made using mechanical crimps, or taped wire twisting. The other two wires of the four cable wire 17 are connected to the wire mounting screws 28 in place of the facility's telephone wires 34. Accordingly, in order for a telephone to be interconnected with an external telephone line 20, signals between the external telephone lines 20 and the facility's internal telephone wires 34 must pass through the monitored alarm system. Such an installation enables the monitored alarm system to disconnect any open telephone line, reestablish a dial tone and transmit an alarm signal to a remote monitoring station.
Since the wire-to-wire interconnection 15 of the facilities telephone wires 34 and the four wire cable 17 are made using mechanical crimps, it is not uncommon for wire connections to fail or short within the telephone network interface. Once a wire connection fails or shorts, a facility's telephone service may become compromised. The facility owner then typically calls the telephone company for service. When, a telephone company serviceman checks the telephone network interface, he/she often perceives the alarm wires as having caused the problem. The telephone serviceman therefore often disconnects the alarm wires and directly reconnects the telephone wires. The facility owner must then call the alarm company for service to reconnect the alarm wires.
A need therefore exists for a better way to integrate alarm wires into a telephone network interface so that the quality of connections between telephone wires and monitored alarm system wires is improved. This need is met by the present invention as is described and claimed below.